Machine for digging and conveying peat.



PATENTBD AUG. 18, 1963. v 0. F. SGHLIGKBYSEN. MACHINE FOR DIGGING AND CONVEYING PEAT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21 1902.

a sums-sum 1,.

N0 MODEL.

PATENTED AUG. 18, 1903. 0. P. SOHLIGKEYSEN. MACHINE FOR DIGGING AND CONVEYING PEAT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 21 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

- Lvezelar: I

ma Mai No: 736,446. PATENTBD-AUGQis, 1503 0. F. SGHLIGKEYSEN.

MACHINE FOR DIGGING AND CONVEYING PEAT.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 21, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Ni'rn. Sterne Patented August 18, 1903.

FFIQE.

CARL FRIEDRICH SCHLICKEYSEN, OFSTEGLITZ, GERMANY.

, SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 736,446, dated August 18, 1903.

Application filed April 21, 1902. Serial No. 103.990. (Ne model.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, CARL FRIEDRICH SCHLIOKEYSEN, manufacturer, a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, residing at Friedrichstrasse N0. 6, Steglitz, near Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Digging and Conveying Peat, of which the following is a specification.

In the method of digging peat as practiced npto the present time the native peat is dug by means of shovels,-the latter being pushed by the workmen into the soil, so as to separate a certain quantity of peat, after which the peat is thrown into a conveying-trough, in which it is transported upward in an oblique direction by means of a drag-chain and plates or the like fixed to the chain. The upper end of the conveying-trough empties into the hopper of a peat-com pressing or peatmolding machine, in and by which the peat is converted into sods or briquets. If the peat compressing or molding machine be one in which two cubic meters of practically dry peat may be produced from twelve cubic meters of native peat in an hour, then six work-.

men are requisite to feed that machine to its normal capacity. 7

Now the object of myinvention is to avoid the employment of these workmen, and I attain that object by effecting the digging of the peat automatically by aidof a constantlymoving endless chain properly guided in and by a suitable frame and having attached to it hooks and shovels adapted to loosen the peat and to transport it either into a pit or into the hopper of the machine.

chine, the conveying-trough, and the digging device, is preferably so arranged that it may be displacedor moved in suitable directions proportionally to the progress of work.

In order to make myiuvention more clear, I refer to. the accompanying drawings, in which similar figures denote similar parts throughout the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a side view of one form of construction of my invention, the whole being adapted to be moved parallel to the direction of movement of the chain. Fig. 2 is a similar view, the movement being. however. late The whole,- comprising the compressing or molding maerally of the chain. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the left-hand part of Fig. 1 or Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is an enlarged view of the middle part of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 11 12 of Fig. 3 drawn on a larger-scale. Fig. 5* is a detail view which will duly be described hereinafter. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 13 14 of Fig. 4. Fig. 7is a side view of a form of construction similar to Fig. 1, in which the whole except the carriage may be turned upon this latter around a vertical axle. Fig. 8 is a plan of some parts of Fig. 7. Fig. 0 shows another manner of attaching the hooks and shovels to the chain, and Fig. 10 shows a means for stretching the chain.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5, the side plates 1 of the frame (preferably consisting of sheetsteel) for the endless chain are firmly connected with each other by cross-plates 2. At

one end of. the plates 1 are bearings 32 for a shaft 4, carrying sprocket-wheels 5, and at the other end of the plates 1 are bearings 33 for a shaft 17 with sprocket-wheels 5% Around the sprocket-wheels 5 and below the sprocket-wheels 5 pass chains 6, driven from any suitable motor or engine by any suitable intermediate means. The chains 6 carry the means for digging and transporting the peat, those means consisting, for instance, of books '7, adapted to loosen the soil, of shovels 8,

adapted to transport the loosened' peat, and of other sharpened steel books 9, adapted to disintegrate pieces or particles of greater resistance. The hooks 7 consist also of steel and are arranged in groups of two, three, or more on a common axle 10, Fig. 6, secured to plates 11, the upper parts of which are hinged to the chain 6. the lower parts of said plates, and they are bent in such a manner, Fig. 4, that they are adapted to tear the upper layer of the peat ofir' the underlying soiL- The peat thus separated is then engaged by the shovels 8, each of which preferably has near the outer extremities of its lower edge 2 curved guides or runners 12, the purpose of which is to prevent the shovels from being driven too deeply, thus passing below the loosened upper layer and engaging the layer between, thus offering undue resistance to the movement of the chain. These guides may,-if desired; be dispensed with. The books 9 mav be located between The hooks 7 are hinged to the books 7 and the plates 8; but I wish it to be understood thatthe succession of the parts 7, 8,and 9 may vary according to any requirement and also the number of one or the with regard to the main chain 6 by short aux-' iliary chains 13. One of the links of each of these latter chains consists, preferably, of

' comparatively thin wire, the tensile strength of which corresponds to the greatest resistance which the hook or plate shall be able to overcome. If the resistance is greater, the wire link gets broken and the respective hook or plateis-prevented' from being injured. Another advantage of this means is that the broken chain may'at once be repaired by simply connecting the two chain parts by a piece of like wire. Another means for preventing the books of plates from being injured by too great a resistance is shown in Fig. 9, in which the tool is freely suspended from the chain, which will yield in case of need. Furthermore, there may be more than two chains, such as 6, and in eithe case the consecutive hooks 7 or 9 may have difl'ferent positions-that is to say, the hooks of one series may be arranged alternately with respect to those of the next,

Oneend of the side plates 1 is connected 'with the conveying-trough 14;, upon the smooth bottom surface of which the peat is transported upward in an oblique direction by the plates 8. The upper end of the trough 14 supports a shaft 25, having chain-wheels 16, and the sprocket 6, with the parts 7, 8, and

9, passes over and around said wheels, from whenceit returns to the wheels 5 of the shaft 4. it will thus be seen that the'wheel 5 may be an idler or it may be driven directly, as in the case of sprockets 5 and 16. The lower end of, the conveying-trough extends in vertical'direction somewhat below the adjacent end of the digging device-4. e., the plates 1 with the respective part of the chain and itstools--the purpose being to allow of an unimpeded movement of the peat into the conveying-trough. I

The connection of the digging device with the conveying-trough is efiecled by the shaft 17 and the bearings 33, which consist each of two parts hinged togetherby said shaft, one

part being fixed to the respective side plate 1,

the other to the respective wall of the trough.

The object of this arrangement is to allow of lowering the digging device as the work proceeds. (See the dotted lines below Fig. 2.) For the same purpose and codperating with the aforedescribed arrangement the digging device is provided with a structure 34, composed of iron rods or bars and extending upward as well as in the directions of the trough. The upper end of said structure carriesa chain 18, one end of which is fastened to thetrough, whereas the other end is connected with a Windlass 19, by which the chain may be loosened, so as to lower the whole device in question and cause it to assume a more or less oblique position, as indicated by dotted lines below Fig. 1. When one layer of soil or peat has been removed by the tools of the digging device, the whole apparatus is displaced or ad? justed in the'direction. of the arrows shown in front of and behind said dotted lines, the extent of the displacement being of course such that the next layer may be worked. The degree of inclination of the worked layer need not only be less than shown, but, if desired, it may be greatenwhen the upper part of the chain will rest upon the upper parts of the wheels 5.

Instead of arranging the whole apparatus in such a manner that it may be moved longitudinally parallel to the direction of the chain, as in Fig. 1, the modified arrangement shownin Fig. 2 may he made use of, in which the movement occurs laterally of said direction.

In the form of construction shown in Figs. 7 and 8 the'conveyingtrough, and with it thedigging device and all the parts belonging thereto, may be turned upon a vertical In all other respect-s the arrange- I axis 22. ment is substantially the same as described with respect to Figs. 1 to 6, except the fapt that an eleetromotor 24=is shown as employed for driving the machine, whereas in the other forms of construction, the shaft 25 of the chain-wheels 16 may be rotated from any motor or engine by a belt, rope, or the like.

Means may be provided for keeping the chainlli under tension. In the example shown in Fig. 10 the chain-wheels 16 (which in this case are rotated from a motor 24 through the mediation of an endless chain 28) or, more precisely, the bearings of. the same are located upon a slide 30, adapted to be displaced either spindle aud crank 26 or automatically by means of a weighted lever, as indicated by dotted lines. A tension-roll 29 is provided to keep the chain 28 in proper tension irregal IlO

by means of a screw-threaded spective of the position of the slide 30. To

prevent the chain 6 from slackening too much, the lateral plates 1 are furnished with guidepieces 31, Fig. 5. 7

Having now described my invention, what I desire to secure by a patent of the United States is- 1. In a peat digging and conveying machine, the combination with a conveyingtr'ough for the peat, of an endless chain extending from said trough along the surface of the soil, tools hinged to said chain and adapted to loosen,

the uppermost layer of the soil and convey it into the said trough, means for keeping the said chain with its tools in proper Working position, and means for driving it in the proper direction.

2. in a peat digging and conveying machine,

the combination with a. conveying-trough for the peat, of an endless chain extending along the surface of the soil and into and through 'said trough, tools hinged to said chain and and through the said trough, means for keeping the said chain with its hooks in proper working position, and means for driving it in the proper direction. I

4. In a'peat digging and conveying machine, the combination with a conveying-trough for the peat, of an endless chain extending from said trough along the surface of the soil, hooks pivotally attached to said chain and adapted to loosen the uppermost layer of the soil, shovels also pivotally attached to saidchain and adapted to convey the loosened peat into and through the said trough, means for keeping the said chain w'ithits hooks and shovels in proper working position, and means for driving it in the proper direction.

5. In apeatdiggingand conveying machine, the combination with a conveying-trough for the peat, of an endless chain extending from said trough along the surface of the soil,- hooks pivotally attached to said chain and having each its lower ends hinged to its main body, other hooks also movably attached to said chain but having. each its lower end rigid with its body, shovels for conveying the peat loosened by said hooks into and through the said trough, means for keeping the said chain with its hooks in proper extended position, and means for driving it in the proper direction.

- 6. In apeatdiggingand conveying machine, the combination with aconveying-trough for the peat, of an endless chain extending from said trough along the surface of the soil, tools pivotally attached to said chain and adapted toloosen the uppermost layer of peat and convey it into the said trough, short auxiliary chains adapted to hold said tools in proper position with regard to the main chain,

means for keeping the latter with its tools in proper working position, and means for driv- .ing it in the proper direction.

7. Inapeat dig'gingandconveying machine, the combination with a conveying-trough for the peat, of an endless chain extending from said trough along the surface of the soil, hooks pivotally attached to said chain and adapted to loosen the uppermost layer of peat, shovels also movably attached to said chain and adapted to convey the loosened peat into and through the said trough, curved glide-plates fixed to the lower edges of said shovels, means for keeping the said chain with its hooks and shovels in proper working position, and means for driving it in the proper direction.

8. Inapeatdiggingand conveyingmachine, the combination with a conveying-trough for the peat, of an endless chain extending along the surface of the soil and hence into and through said trough, tools attached to said chain and adapted to loosen the uppermost layer of peat and convey it-into the said trough, stationary plates hinged to the trough and extending along the sides of that part of the chain which extends from the trough along the surface of the soil, means for keeping the said chain with its tools in,proper working position, and means for driving it in the proper direction.

9. Inapeatdiggingand conveyingmachine, the combination with a conveying-trough for the peat, of an endless chain extending along the surface of the soil and hence into and through said trough, tools attached to said chain and adapted to loosen the uppermost layer of peat and convey it into the said trough, stationary plates extending from the trough along the sides of that part of the chain which extends along the surface of the soil, bearings consisting each of two parts, one part being fixed to, the trough and the other to the stationary plate, a shaft located in said bearings and connecting the parts so as to form a hinge, wheels located upon said shaft, means'for keeping the said chain with its tools in proper working position, and means for driving it in the proper direction.

10. In a peat digging and conveying ma chine, the combination with a conveyingtrough extending upward to a suitable'recepr tacle, of an endless chain extending along the surface of the soil and hence into and through said trough, tools attached to said chain and adapted to loosen the uppermost layer of peat and convey it into the said trough, means for keeping the said chain with its tools in proper working position, and means for driving it in the proper direction, a carriage supporting the receptacle and the trough and adapted to be adjusted in the direction of work of said chain and tools upon the soil 11. In a peat digging and conveying machine, the combination with a conveyingtrough extending upward to a suitable receptacle, of an endless chain extending along the surface of the soil and hen'ce into and through said trough,-tools attached to said chain and chain and tools upon the soil, the trough and the digging device being adapted to be rotated around a vertical axis upon said carriage.

too

12. In a peat-digging machine and conveying-machine, an endless chain, means for holding said chain in an operative position e1;-

trough, of an endless chain passing therethrongh, means for holding said chain in an operative position extending be'yondthe end of said trough along the surface of the soil, a series of plates pivotally attached to the chain and extending transversely thereof, means for holding said-plates at an angle to the chain, a portion of said platesprovidedon the lower edge with downwardly-projecting hooks for loosening the peat, the intermediate plates constituting shovels or scoops of substantially the same area as the interior cross-section of the trough and serving to transport the loosened peat to and through said trough, and means for driving the chain.

14z= In a peat digging and conveying machine, an endless chain, means for holding said chain in an operative position extending along the surface of the soil, a series of plates pivotally attached to the chain and extend- 5 ing transversely thereof, auxiliary chains for holding said plates at an angle to the endless chain, a portion of said plates provided on the lower edge'with downwardly-projecting cutting hooks or blades, another portion pro- 40 v-ided with downwardly projectin g loosenin gs hooks, another portion of said plates forming shovels or scoops for transporting the loosened peat, said shovels being provided at the lower edge with guides or runners, and means for 45 driving the endless chain longitudinally.

15. In a peat digging and conveying machine, an endless chain, means for holding said chain in an operative pos tion extending along the surface of the soil, tools pivotally 5o attached to said chain and adapted to loosen and transport the peat, connections between the endless chain and tools adapted to hold the tools in operative position at an angle to the chain, said connections having less ten- 55 silevstrength than the tools whereby injury to the tools from striking an obstruction is avoided, and means for driving the endless chain.

. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 6c hand in presence oftwo witnesses.

,GARL FRIEDRICH SGHLIOKEYSEN. 

